Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
religion_n	church_n	government_n	worship_n	3,428	5	7.3798	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A62886	The inconveniencies of toleration, or, An answer to a late book intituled, A proposition made to the King and Parliament for the safety and happiness of the King and kingdom	Tomkins, Thomas, 1637?-1675.	1667 (1667)	Wing T1835; ESTC R236045	34,802	42

repeat strange Things which have been said in Prayers and Sermons neither are we sure that They meet only to do that we Know that there may be and do verily believe that there is a quite other use of such Assemblies viz. To Form and to Know a Party to Communicate Intelligence and Discontents to have a Plausible and Unperceivable way of scattering abroad among the whole Nation all sorts of little and Malicious stories There is no such Dangerous way of Libelling as that which is vulgarly called a good Gift in Prayer THe next Thing observable is p. 13. I wonder really in whose shops They have bought their Spectacles that They can see this great Thing Unity of Folks Spirits in Uniformity c. Surely Uniformity doth of all Things in the World look most like to Unity And St. Paul recommends it to us upon this very score That we all speak the same things being with Him a very great Evidence That there are no Divisions amongst Us. But because the The credit of these Glasses wherein we perswade our selves That we see clearly Unity in Uniformity doth it seems depend very much upon the Shop they came out of We shal gratifie our Author so far as to let Him Know whence we had Them and to go no further We were Advised in the making and using of this sort of Glasses by one who we are sure will not be denyed to be a most Skilful Work-man in such like Affairs even the Non-conformists entirely beloved Mr. Calvin in his Epist. ad Protectorem Angliae where we have Him expressing his judgment clearly and fully for Uniformity in all its Parts and utmost Extent of it It is fit saith he to take great heed of the desultory wits i. e. The light giddy heady People who desire for themselves too boundless a Liberty the Gate is also to be shut against curious i. e. new fangled Doctrines But How is this think You to be done by Liberty of Conscience no but by a more sober way And for This there is but one ready and assured way If there be some one Form of Doctrin received of all which in their Preaching all should follow to which also all the Bishops and the Parish Priests should by Oath be bound and that no man should be admitted to any Ecclesiastical Benefice unless he promised that That consent of Doctrin should be to him Inviolable Here we have Him clear and express full and home for Uniformity so far as Doctrin reacheth But Secondly He is as clear for Uniformity in Prayers and the Rites and Ceremonies thereof As to the Form of Prayers and Rites Ecclesiastical I do very much approve that there be one certain One partly to provide against the simplicity and idleness of some and partly to Demonstrate the agreement of our Churches between themselves and Lastly to provide against the desultory Levity of those men who are alwaies affecting Novelties The Second of these Reasons comes home to what our Author makes such a Wonder of viz. That Uniformity is a great Degree and Evidence of our Unity And we are told a little before in the same Epistle that there are a sort of seditious People in England which all Authority is highly concerned to provide against and He Describes them Thus There are saith he some Brain-sick People in England who under the pretence of the Gospel bring in all sorts of disorder And his sentence is very Peremptory concerning them that They ought To be restrained by the Avenging Sword Now who these People are who are complained of as the destroyers of all order is not surely hard to be conceived They are the Destroyers of all order who refuse to be under any who will own the obligation of no Law as to these Externals wherein order alone can have any place but take it very ill that they are not left wholly and altogether to their own Humour and Capriciousness or what ever else it is possible for them to mistake for or to pretend to be their Conscience And now if we think that Uniformity looks like Unity we hope the Glasses which we see this thorough will be no longer derided when we consider in whose shops we found them exposed to our open view and we our selves were particularly called upon by the chief Artificer to make use of Them for this very particular purpose and occasion But that Uniformity is a Thing highly to be desired and by all possible means to be endeavoured after and procured Is a Thing which I suppose will not be denyed by that Party which is here chiefly pleaded for Because that they have with Hands lifted up to Heaven sworn Themselves and not only so but with all manner of Art and Violence did perswade and force every one they had Interest in or Power over to Swear with them That they would endeavour to bring the Churches of God in the Three Kingdomes to the nearest Conjunction and UNIFORMITY in Religion Confession of Faith Form of church-Church-Government Directory for Worship and Catechising See the First Article of the Covenant We have One Argument more for Uniformity and that is The Horrible Divisions which we have seen to arise for the want of it and here we appeal to the Sober Part of our Adversaries who when time was made great Complaints of this very Thing the sight of the hideous Heresies Schisms and Scandals which did immediately arise among Themselves did make them cry out mightily to their Rulers for a Law to set bounds to the Consciences of their own Brethren Liberty of Conscience is so wild a Spirit as no Circle will keep in order And to speak the Truth it is a Contradiction to own that pretence and then to offer to set any Bounds unto it But to draw towards a Conclusion of this Argument we do verily believe That Uniformity if it were carefully maintained and diligently looked after would in a few years recall our Ancient Unity The People would quickly forget all these Fantasies if it were not for these small Levites which are perpetually buzzing them into their ears We should quickly see that the People would come to the Churches if there were not so many Conventicles to keep them thence and if they were but used for a little while to come thither they would not find the Liturgy to be such a fearful Idol as they have been often told of And I durst confidently say That if a Tryal were made in any gathered Church about the Town and many of our Prayers were there repeated memoriter that that man would be accounted one of great Gifts that could pray so sweetly It is nothing but unacquaintedness which makes them lyable to be so scared with all those terrible and groundless Stories And I here durst boldly appeal to Thousands who have since the Kings Return gone once or twice to hear the Common-Prayer out of Curiosity and have gone ever after out of Conscience and have much

Contrivance of theirs from being absolutely the most senseless and dangerous in the whole World and we profess our selves unable upon their grounds to provide against them viz. Those who do pretend Conscience and those who abuse it And there is a Third sort likewise which some care ought to be taken of viz. Those vast numbers which are every day still lyable to be more and more abused by such Pretences Those Laws are not fitted for the Temper of this World which proceed upon this Supposition That every one who looks demurely is presently in good earnest That men say nothing but what they think Let us consider that it is very possible for men to Personate and then we shall not be so eager to desire a general licence for every one who hath a mind to become a publick Cheat. The Inconveniences likewise which such a Toleration will bring upon a Temporal account will be very great and very Universal not a City not a Parish nay perhaps not a Family free from them And we shall quickly see what a sad pass things will come at if the unconsidering part of mankind shall ly thus exposed to every one who will go about to deceive them And then from these diversities of Judgments and many times when it is only different forms of speaking there will immediately arise great distances of affection for these divisions of Reuben there will presently be great thoughts of Heart Surmisings Censures Jealousies Railings Evil-speakings Animosities Peevishness Malice perverse Disputings and every evil way each Congregation will have some one little Proposition which all its Proselytes must be known by which all their thoughts must be always running upon and every body else must needs come up too The smallest gathered Church cannot hold its Members together unless it hath some particular thing to engage them upon and to have them known by For they cannot with any face separate from all Mankind but they must have something to say for it This Contrivance however it be absurd and dangerous will notwithstanding that have alwayes many who will be very fond of it for it is a most ready way for every forward fellow to think himself somewhat in that he is got into such a Sect and then he thinks that if he can but improve the notion a little farther he shall then be the more taken notice of and if he finds that his Addition is but a little taking he will then forsake his Masters to set up for himself divide from that Church of which he is now so precious a Member to gather a purer of his own And so this Light will serve most bravely for himself to shine in But if this had been a new Invention its Contrivers might then have been allowed to have entertained huge hopes of it but alas it hath been often tryed and always brought great confusion along with it and therefore there was then great care taken by the Romans what Religion their subjects were of one of the ancientest Laws we read of Separatim nemo habessit Deos neve novos sed ne advenas nisi publicè adscitos privatim colanto Tul. l. 2. de legibus XII TABLES This was an especial part of AEdiles care Ne qui nisi Romano Dii neque alio more quaem patrio colerentur Liv. lib. 4. p. 155. Easily concluding that as soon as ever they had another Religion their Countrey had lost the better half of them In variety of worship the one must needs reckon the other Erroneous perhaps Impious and then how lamentably must that City be divided whose Inhabitants think themselves bound as they love God to hate one another and it hath been often seen that a common enemy hath crept in at their intestine divisions and destroyed both while the one did not enough care to help the other Be our Apprehensions concerning Divine matters never so different I grant that we ought not for the sake of them to want the dutyes of common humanity we shall grant that so to do is a great error But alas it is too general a one and law-makers are to consider not only what men ought but what they use to do Why shall I fight saith one for a Prince who is an Idolater And why should I saith another take any care to relieve that City which is only a Bundle of Schismaticks And what was the policy of Jeroboams calves think we but this He did not cast of the true God but only set up another way of Worship as easily concluding that if I can but perswade them to be of another religion I shall easily keep them to be another Kingdom do but divide their Faiths and the Nations will never care to unite again And pray tell me what shall a Prince do in that case where there are divers wayes of Worship allowed and frequented in the same Nation Shall he discountenance the professors of any one by keeping them out of all Office and Employment If so he disobligeth that whole Profession loseth so many hearts who sure will think themselves to be very hardly dealt with in that they are disrespected only out of their Zeal to God and because they follow the best of their Light And what will they think of such a State which doth refuse to employ them merely upon this account because in the words of our Author they use all manner of means to save their Souls Or secondly shall the Prince carry himself equally and indifferently toward all Perswasions countenance and prefer them all alike This can hardly be because he himself must be of some One and that will think it self not fairly dealt with if it hath not some preheminence And when he endeavours to shew himself indifferent to all perswasions it will then be said that he makes use of all Religions for his own Ends but himself really is of none and so perhaps none of them will be really for him And thus by endeavoring to displease neither party he shall certainly displease them both at least the Zealots of all sides will represent him at the best as one Lukewarm and so only fit as it is in the Revel to be spit out at their Mouths Men may talk of their fine projects as long as they please but surely where the Church is already so setled as that it hath a great dependance on the Government and the Government hath a standing influence upon that those Politicks must needs be very strange which go about to alter such a Constitution and instead of a Clergy thus regulated it is no kindness sure to the Monarchy to set up such a Ministry which shall depend chiefly upon the People And when the whole method of the Preachers maintenance and reputation must be the various Arts by which he can either guide or follow the several humours of each of his Congregation No man can tell what it is possible for a good Crafts-master to perswade the multitude unto As to our particular case